Ipe Deck Restoration in Chicago
Gray, weathered ipe sanded and brightened back to its colour, then oiled the way dense hardwood needs
Ipe outlasts every other decking, but only with oil. Left alone it turns silver in a season and checks at the ends within a few years. We restore gray ipe with a hardwood cleaner and brightener, sanding where the surface has fibred, and a penetrating oil applied thin and wiped, never a film. For the yearly clean and oil on a deck already in good shape, see our ipe cleaning and oiling service.
Hardwood-Specific Prep
pH-balanced cleaner and brightener, low pressure, no bleach
Never a Film Finish
Penetrating oil only; poly, lacquer and paint flake off dense ipe within a season
End Grain Sealed
Cut ends sealed so the checking that ruins ipe boards stops
18-Month Warranty
Written cover against peeling on every hardwood finish
What ipe restoration includes
Ipe is a South American hardwood dense enough to sink in water and last forty years on a deck. That density is also why ordinary deck products fail on it: stains sit on the surface, films peel, and the wood needs an oil that penetrates. Unoiled, the surface oxidises to silver within one summer, and cut ends start to check.
Restoration brings a gray ipe deck back. We wash with a hardwood cleaner at low pressure, brighten to lift the oxidised layer, and sand with 60 then 80 grit where fibres have lifted. The deck dries for 48 to 72 hours. Then a penetrating hardwood oil, DeckWise Ipe Oil, goes on thin and is wiped back, so it cures in the wood instead of on it. Hidden fasteners that have popped are reset and every cut end is sealed.
After restoration, the deck goes onto a yearly clean and oil. That is a lighter, quicker job, and it keeps the colour without another sanding.
Which ipe service do you need?
Three jobs, three prices. The colour of the boards tells you which one you are looking at.
Annual clean and oil
The deck was oiled in the last year or two and has faded a little. A hardwood wash and one thin coat of oil, every year, keeps it there.
See ipe cleaning and oilingGray-deck restoration
The oil is long gone and the surface has oxidised. Clean, brighten, sand where needed, oil, reset fasteners and seal the ends. This page.
What restoration includesHardwood repairs
Popped hidden clips, cupped boards, checked ends, a failed stair tread. Repaired with matched ipe and the right stainless fasteners, then oiled.
What we repairIpe Problems Restoration Fixes
These are the ways ipe fails in a Chicago climate. Every one of them is a maintenance problem, not a wood problem.
Silver-Gray Boards
Sunlight oxidises unoiled ipe within a season. Brightener and, where needed, sanding lift the gray layer; oil keeps it from coming back.
End-Grain Checking
Cut ends dry fastest and split. We sand the checks smooth and seal every end so moisture cannot get in again.
Popped Hidden Clips
Freeze-thaw movement lifts boards off their clips. We reset the clips with the right stainless screws and re-seat the boards.
Tannin Bleed Stains
Dark streaks on the boards and rust-coloured marks on the patio below come from ipe's natural tannins. Brightener removes them and oil slows the bleed.
Mildew in the Shade
Ipe resists rot but not surface mildew. A hardwood cleaner removes it without bleach, which streaks dense wood.
A Peeling Film From a Previous Job
Polyurethane, lacquer or a deck stain that never penetrated. It has to come off completely before the wood can take oil.
Ipe Restoration Work We Handle
The full list for restoring gray or damaged hardwood, so the written estimate has a name for everything on it.
Hardwood Wash and Brighten
pH-balanced cleaner at low pressure, then an oxalic brightener that lifts the oxidised gray layer and tannin marks.
Sanding
Where the surface has fibred or checked, we sand with 60 then 80 grit, floor and treads, to fresh wood. Never finer: oil needs an open grain.
Penetrating Oil
DeckWise Ipe Oil applied thin and wiped back within minutes, so it cures in the wood. The same oil on every hardwood deck we finish.
Fastener Reset
Popped hidden clips reset with stainless screws, face-screwed boards refastened with stainless, plugs replaced where they have gone.
End-Grain Sealing
Every cut end sealed with an end-grain sealer after sanding, the single step that most extends an ipe board's life.
Board Replacement
Cupped or split boards replaced with matched ipe, clipped or plugged to match, and oiled with the rest so the new board blends within a season.
Our Ipe Restoration Process: Four Careful Steps
Hardwood punishes shortcuts. This is the order that gives a gray ipe deck its colour back and keeps it.
Inspect and Test
We check the boards, clips, cut ends and stairs, test a patch to see how far the gray goes, and leave a written estimate.
Wash, Brighten and Dry
Hardwood cleaner at low pressure, brightener, then 48 to 72 hours of drying. Oil on damp ipe does not cure, so we wait.
Sand, Repair and Seal Ends
Sanding where the surface has fibred, fasteners reset, boards replaced, every cut end sealed.
Oil and Walk Through
Thin coats of penetrating oil, wiped back, edges and stairs by hand. A walkthrough, and the date for next year's clean and oil.
What the week looks like
- Day 1Inspection, test patch, written estimate. Wash and brighten once you approve.
- Days 2 to 3Drying. Ipe holds water longer than pine; we wait for the meter, usually 48 to 72 hours.
- Day 4Sanding, repairs, end sealing and oil. Most decks are finished in one working day.
- Next 24 to 48 hFoot traffic after 24 hours, furniture after 48. No rain for the first 24.
What Shapes an Ipe Restoration Quote
Hardwood costs more to restore than pine because it takes longer to prepare. Every estimate is free, written and itemised.
What shapes the price
- How gray the deck is. A brightener alone brings back lightly faded ipe; deeply oxidised boards need sanding, which is the slowest part of the job.
- Square footage of floor, plus stairs, benches, privacy walls and railings, which are oiled by hand.
- Fasteners and boards. Reset clips, replaced plugs and matched boards are listed as their own lines.
- A previous film finish. Stripping polyurethane or a deck stain off hardwood adds a day.
- The annual programme after. A yearly clean and oil is much less than a restoration, and we can put it on the calendar with the estimate.
Our documented Chicago ipe project shows a 280 sq ft deck with stairs and a privacy wall cleaned and oiled for $2,930. The estimate you receive is the price you pay.
Get a free written estimateWritten warranty. 18 months against peeling on the oil finish, 2 years on board and fastener repairs. Read the warranty terms.
Recent Hardwood Projects
A documented ipe job with photos, the size, the product and the real invoice.
Chicago, IL · 280 sq ft · Rymar Xtreme Weather · see the job
Why Choose Deck Doc for Ipe?
- Hardwood-specific cleaners, brighteners and one penetrating oil
- Sanding only where the surface needs it, never finer than 80 grit
- Every cut end sealed; every popped clip reset with stainless
- Thin, wiped coats that cure in the wood, never a film
- A yearly clean-and-oil reminder so restoration is a one-time job
- Fully insured, $1M liability coverage on every job
- 4.9★ on Google · 229 reviews
- 18-month warranty against peeling, 2 years on repairs
Get Your Free Estimate
Tell us the size of the deck and when it was last oiled. We call back within one business day.
Ipe Deck Restoration Across Chicagoland
Our hardwood crews work from the city to the North Shore. Pick your town for local details and recent jobs nearby.
- Chicago
- Lincoln Park
- Lakeview
- Bucktown
- Wicker Park
- Logan Square
- Evanston
- Wilmette
- Winnetka
- Glencoe
- Highland Park
- Lake Forest
- Northbrook
- Hinsdale
- Oak Park
Ipe Deck Restoration FAQs
The questions Chicago hardwood owners ask before booking.
After Restoration: Keep It Brown
Restoration is the one-time job. The yearly clean and oil is what keeps you from needing it again, and it is a fraction of the cost.
Hardwood Guides From Our Blog
Written by the people who do the work, for hardwood owners who want to understand the job before they book it.
Is Your Ipe Deck Gray?
Send a photo, or call and we will come out, test a patch, and leave you a written estimate for restoration and for the yearly oil that follows.
If it only needs a clean and oil, we say so and quote that instead.
Call Now: (847) 979-9299 Request an estimate